I weigh in at around 230lbs, and have a 10 bike stable, something for just about every need, and probably too many! Here are a few of my favorites:
The above is my favorite road bike, a ‘12 Breezer Venturi. It feels great, and is just a natural sports machine. I used to race on it, and it’s my go-to for fast club rides.
This ‘15 Kinesis Racelight 4S is my spring/winter road bike (with lower gearing and fenders) and my fast dirt road rides bike. I run 30c rubber, here with Gravelkings.
My fair weather cafe bike is this ‘19 Tern Rally. It’s just pretty, so when I’m making short trips or just checking out the scene around town, this is usually what I take.
When I just want to be whacky, like for Critical Mass rides, this ‘12 Mercier Nano fits the bill! I got this because I was interested in the minivelo thing, but this bike is quite cheap and does not ride nicely at all, really. I got it to the point where it is rideable, but the seat, a sacrifice to the style theme, is an ass-hatchet, for example. I do ride it a bit, surprisingly, in the summer, for trips downtown to Summerfest and stuff like that. With that 60t chainring, I can whip this critter up to some pretty high speeds, and I’m sure people swear that they just saw a bear on a circus bike ride by! I dwarf this thing.
Although it’s use scenarios keep getting slimmer with the kids grown and other bikes in the mix, for 15 years this ‘05 Novara Buzz has been my ride-or-die, do-it-all scoot. It’s pulled kids trailers and cargo, commuted through Michigan winters, and been locked up on the street downtown at 2am, waiting for me to leave the bar. Monkeylights on the wheel made it a favorite at bike festivals, too. It’s now mostly my winter utility ride, so it doesn’t see many miles anymore, but I really love it.
‘21 Breezer Doppler Cafe+
This is the latest addition, but already a favorite. For solo dirt roads and urban trips both, this ‘21 Breezer Doppler Cafe+ has proven superlative in just a short couple of weeks. The big 650b x 47c tires are just so plush, it makes me want to keep riding! The more relaxed body posture suits my increasingly unfit, aging body, too. I think that regardless of how my return to training goes, this bike will get a growing share of rides, because I really like it.